President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States, an extraordinary assertion that would challenge the longstanding control exercised by Iran and Oman over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
Speaking on Long Island, New York, during remarks focused largely on his administration’s crime-fighting efforts, Trump said: “Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”
"Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States."
President Trump floats a dramatic move involving the strategically critical waterway as he says Iran is being "very badly defeated." pic.twitter.com/zXJhCfOIqH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 14, 2026
Trump did not explain what legal authority he would invoke to make such a declaration or how the United States would attempt to enforce a territorial claim over the waterway. The United States currently has no sovereign claim to the strait, noted The Hill.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, with Iran along its northern shore and Oman to the south. Roughly 20 percent of global oil and gas shipments move through the narrow passage, making it a critical artery for international energy markets.
The strait has taken on even greater importance during the roughly six-month conflict between the United States and Iran. Its closure during the fighting has contributed to sharp increases in energy prices around the world.
Trump has repeatedly maintained during the conflict that the United States effectively controls the waterway. He has twice ordered a U.S. naval blockade of the strait, pointing to American military power and its influence over oil exports from the region.
Iran has rejected Trump’s assertions of American control. On Wednesday, the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority wrote on Twitter that claims of ownership “not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”
Trump’s latest declaration adds another potential point of confrontation between Washington and Tehran as control of the Strait of Hormuz remains central to the conflict and its growing effects on global energy supplies.
